Rights and Real Democracy. Helping Communities write new rules. Rights of Nature & Community Rights: Protecting & Defending the

Rights and Real Democracy. Helping Communities write new rules. www.MOVEMENTRIGHTS.ORG

Rights of Nature & Community Rights:Protecting & Defending the Places We Live

Presented by Shannon BiggsCo-founder, Director of Movement [email protected]

Rights and real democracy. Helping communities write new rules.

http://www.movementrights.org/


Movement Rights: About our WorkRedefining the Problem: Who decides What Happens Where you Live?

• Asserting Community Rights: • Organizing & Legal Assistance in California• Rights-based Trainings, speaking and writing

• Recognizing Rights of Nature: • Movement-building, Speaking & Writing• Working Globally & Locally

• Promoting Indigenous Rights & Traditional Wisdom

Who We Are • Founders: Shannon Biggs, Pennie Opal Plant• Origins of our Work: Global Exchange, CELDF, Idle No More, Anti-Nuclear, Climate Justice• Deeply Rooted in Community Activism and Justice Movements


Rights of Nature: Shifting Law & CultureRights, Where Do They Come From?

Rights of Nature: Indigenous Origins

Nature as Property, What Does it Mean? • The story of separation• Rape as a property crime• No Legal Standing

Historic Movements for Rights• Abolitionists, Women’s suffrage, Civil Rights• When law denies rights: Civil Disobedience


Rights of Nature: Shifting Law & Culture

2006 First RON Law (Tamaqua Borough, PA)• Dredge to fill Old Mine Site Bordering Town• Legal Recourse? No Jurisdiction. • Enter Cathy Miorelli & CELDF• Does Everyone Need to be a Treehugger? No.

Change Comes from the Grassroots• 2008 Ecuador References Ordinances • Inspires more Communities, Countries


Enter Corporations: Is Rights of Nature Enough?

Competing with Corporate “Rights”• Corporate Whack-a-Mole• Sleight of Hand: Citizens United • Are Corporations Even the Problem? • RON Alone = Competing “rights” or Denial?


“I begin with charters and corporations. It is a perversion of terms to say that a charter gives rights. It operates by a contrary effect- that of taking rights away. Rights are inherently in all the inhabitants; but charters, by annulling those rights, in the majority, leave the right, by exclusion, in the hands of a few. They do not give rights to A, but they make a difference in favour of A by taking away the right of B, and consequently are instruments of injustice.” - - Thomas Paine on Corporations and Charters in "The Rights of Man”

Power to the People — or Corporations?


THE STATE

FOR PROFIT CORPORATION

G.B

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

G.B

City Attorney

Asserting Community Rights: Shifting Law & Culture

Redefining the Problem From: • Fracking, GMOs, Mining, etc. SYMPTOMS of the Problem• Corporations Not the Problem (Legal)• Elect the “RIGHT” people Temporary, not Systemic • Try Harder Next Time! Victims of Colonization? • Limiting our “Victories” Best we Can Get?

Redefine Problem As Denial of Rights/Democracy• Act as if Community Rights Exist & Matter• Link arms with Fracking, Mining, GMO etc. (No silos)• Create Deep, Structural Change & Living Democracy• Empowering to Write the Rules, Take the Reigns


Asserting Community Rights (2)

Local Community Bill of Rights Ordinances: • Asserting Self-Governance on Important Local Decisions

• WHAT DO WE WANT vs What we can Get• Shifting Who Decides

• Calling out Corporate “Rights” State Federal Denial of Rights• Recognizing Ecosystems Right to be free from Harm• Other Rights: Living Wage, Quality of Life, etc.? Sure. • Rights as Decision-Maker (not Majority Rule) • Ordinances Include Bans of Activities in Violation of Rights • Next Generation: Beyond Bans


The New Civil Rights Movement?

180+ Community Ordinances in 12 States: • Linking Arms through multiple issues on RIGHTS!• What About Challenges? Yes. Basis of Challenge: Local Rights!

State Level Action• Support Local BoRs Through Constitutional Change• 9 States Have Active Community Rights Networks (CRNs)

Heading Toward Federal Change


Resources for More Information


Contact us, join our list serve! www.MOVEMENTRIGHTS.org• Free downloads, books, toolkits, blogs, and more

• Email: [email protected]• Visit: CELDF.org

• Global Alliance for Rights of Nature


Documents

Rights and Real Democracy. Helping Communities write new rules. Rights of Nature & Community Rights: Protecting & Defending the